Individual and group peer support for men who have experienced sexual, physical and psychological trauma. Groups are open to men after they have met a peer support facilitator for one to one meetings. Call David Passell on 021 174 9252 or 09 889 2553, email manager@betterblokes.org.nz

Children under nine at greatest risk of dog bites

99,003 dog bites were reported to ACC between 2004 and 2014, with 5842 cases requiring hospitalisation – an average of two a day. Over a third of those hospitalised were children, usually with facial injuries.

The annual bite rate had risen steadily from 10.5 people per 100,000 people in 2004 to 14.3 per 100,000 in 2014.

Children under nine years old were at the highest risk, particularly Maori and those living in low socioeconomic areas.

Injury analysis showed that children were much more likely to be bitten on the face or neck. More than three quarters (79 per cent) of reported bites to 0 – 4-year-olds were to the head or neck, compared to just 8 per cent of bites to 20 – 59-year-olds. If you’ve been bitten by a dog and it wasn’t your fault, do you realise that you could file a claim and get compensation for it? You could check out a law firm like the Nehora Law Firm to give you some idea of what you could get.